


Captain's Orders

by TheHatMeister (orphan_account)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Blood, Gen, Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 04:42:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5116073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/TheHatMeister
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve Rogers was dying, and there was nothing anybody could do about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Captain's Orders

None of them had expected the attack.

 

When Sitwell was dragged out the window and thrown under a truck, Natasha’s gut clenched as she dragged Steve down for cover. The Winter Soldier was here, and this time, they were his target. Slamming on the brakes, Sam sent the masked assassin flying, freezing in horror as he dragged his metal fingers through the concrete to slow himself down. But as the black Hummer rammed them from behind, the assassin jumped back onto the roof and ripped the steering wheel right from Sam’s fingers, hopping onto the Hummer behind him as he sealed the trio’s fate.

 

Steve’s shield took the brunt of the impact as they abandoned the car, which went flying in a cartwheel of steel and glass. Sam let go and rolled to a halt, hoping to slow down the Hydra soldiers in the Hummer. The Winter Soldier easily jumped off the car, and taking a grenade launcher, shot at Steve. Though his shield once again saved him, he bounced off a nearby car and went flying into a bus, the shield clattering to the ground far away.

 

Natasha was trading shots with the soldiers at an increasingly desperate pace, heart in her mouth. The Winter Soldier turned his attention to her, launching grenade after grenade at her. She vaulted over the concrete barrier and off the bridge, using her grappling hook to secure her landing as a car exploded behind her. Noting her escape, the assassin traded his grenade launcher for a submachine gun, goggles glinting in the sunlight. It was that glint that allowed Natasha to aim for him, a bullet ricocheting off the tinted visor. As he ducked behind the barrier, the Winter Soldier removed his glasses, slightly irritated. In his skull, Pierce’s words echoed: Eliminate them all. By any means necessary.

 

He returned fire, sweeping the area below him, but Natasha was already hidden behind a truck, returning his volley. His bullets began to pockmark the trucks around her, and she ran into the mass of civilians fleeing their cars.

 

“U menya yey,” the assassin commanded. “Nayti drugiye.” Effortlessly, he vaulted over the barrier, landing on a car below. He knew that Natasha Romanov was the most dangerous of the three, as Captain America and Samuel Wilson were both without weapons. Eliminating her would bring the other two out of hiding.

 

Three Hydra soldiers grappled their way off the bridge towards the bus where Steve lay, one wielding a minigun. They opened fire on the bus, sending sparks flying everywhere. Several bullets grazed Steve on his way out, but as he rolled to the ground and grabbed his shield, he was mostly unharmed. The soldiers continued to direct their fire at him, bullets bouncing off the vibranium alloy.

 

Up on the bridge, Sam wilson pulled his knife out of his boot, silently thanking the paranoia that came with being a combat veteran. In his sights was a Hydra soldier, preparing to grapple. With a well-aimed punch and a swipe of his knife, Sam grabbed the soldier’s gun, but as he shouldered it to provide Steve cover, he felt the cold metal of a muzzle against his head.

 

“Drop it,” the soldier rasped. Sam froze. His own gun was loaded, but he knew he knew he would be dead before he could shoot his captor. He let the gun clatter to the ground, bile in his throat. You’re on your own, Cap, he thought grimly.

 

Meanwhile, Steve had deflected the bullets from the minigun into one of his attackers, killing him instantly. However, the other soldier was wiser, and as minigun fire continued to erupt, he took advantage of Steve’s distraction to shoot him in the leg. The supersoldier reflexively curled into a ball at the impact, face distorted with pain. While it only felt like a flesh wound, his mobility was going to be severely reduced. And he was still being shot at. But luck was on his side, and he managed to deflect the rest of the bullets into his attackers. With a regretful glance up at the bridge, he ran after the masked assassin, grimacing as pain shot through his leg. He hoped Sam would understand what was at stake here, and that any attempts to help his newfound friend would certainly end in death.

 

On the other side of the bridge, the Winter Soldier stalked his way through the crowd, civilians fleeing in terror. But they didn’t interest him; only his target mattered. His eyes swept through the maze of empty cars, picking out the best points for cover and alert for any gunshots. Suddenly, his ears picked up Natasha, sending out a distress call to SHIELD. Almost silently, he crouched down and rolled a grenade towards her, straightening back up to shoot her as she escaped the blast.

 

But when nobody emerged from the explosion, the assassin realized he’d been tricked. It allowed him to get a hand up just in time to prevent Natasha’s garotte from killing him, despite his weapon being kicked away. He threw her over his head and into a car, picking up his gun once more. However, she threw a Widow’s Bite at his arm, short-circuiting it so that his shot missed. Taking advantage of his distraction, she ran back into the crowd. Now beginning to get angry, the Winter Soldier ripped the device off his arm and pursued her.

 

“Get out of the way!” Natasha cried as she ran, motioning for everyone to get back. At the second her hand extended, a bullet ripped through her shoulder, shattering her collarbone in a spray of blood. She ducked behind a car, trying to breathe through the shock and pain. A few inches to the left, and it would’ve been a kill shot. As blood welled through her fingers, she glanced around desperately, trying to find the Winter Soldier. As ghostly as his reputation said, he appeared out of nowhere, gun aimed directly at her head.

 

Steve charged at the assassin, diverting his attention. He barely raised his shield in time to protect himself from a mighty blow, metal ringing on metal as shockwaves ran through the air. Unfazed, the Winter Soldier kicked Steve square in the chest, sending him to the ground. Steve grunted in pain, rolling backwards and curling up behind his shield. Despite the serum running through his veins, the wounds he had already sustained were taking their toll on him, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could fight. As the Winter Soldier unleashed a spray of bullets at him, Steve crouched behind his shield, taking a second to catch his breath before rolling behind a car for cover. Favoring his uninjured leg, he vaulted over the car and knocked the gun out of the assassin’s hands. However, he merely pulled out a pistol, blasting away at Steve’s shield as they circled each other.

 

Once the magazine was emptied, Steve punched at his opponent, but the assassin grabbed his shield and twisted, forcing Steve to let go. Now armed with the shield, the Winter Soldier easily blocked Steve’s blows and punched him in the gut with his metal arm, sending the supersoldier flying into a car. Steve groaned as he felt his ribs crack, staggering to his feet. The assassin tossed Steve’s shield in his direction, nearly decapitating him and embedding itself in the metal of a nearby van. Pulling out a knife and holding it in reverse grip, the Winter Soldier launched a new salvo of attacks at Steve, who was barely able to block them. However, the assassin was as relentless as the Russian winter for which he was named, and the onslaught continued. Spying an opening, Steve grabbed his opponent around the neck and flipped him over. The assassin rolled out of the throw, but his mask was dislodged and came off. He turned around, ready to fight, only to find Steve frozen in shock.

 

“Bucky?” Steve gasped, unable to believe his eyes. His childhood friend who’d he thought long dead, was alive and standing before him. But if he was alive, that meant-

 

All thoughts Steve had about the masked assassin being Bucky were ended when a knife embedded itself in his chest, just an inch above his heart. Without his suit to soften the blow, Steve gasped as the wind was driven out of him. The Winter Soldier - Bucky - lowered his hand, his aim having been true. Steve fell to his knees, eyes wide with pain and betrayal.

 

“Why, Buck?” He gasped, a bubble of blood forming on his lips. But his killer said nothing, turning away and putting his mask back on. “Kapitan Amerika mertvym. U nas yest' zalozhniki i Romanov poluchili raneniya,” he muttered into his earpiece, picking up his discarded grenade launcher.

 

Steve glanced around desperately, but every weapon was too far away. As the blood pumped out of his chest, the world began to grow fuzzy, and a high-pitched buzzing rang in his ears. He collapsed on his side, breathing shallow and infrequent. Something in the back of his head told him to apply pressure, lie on his other side, but it was overrun by a single thought: Something’s wrong with Bucky.

 

Natasha crawled around the car she was hiding behind, shaking her head to clear the fog of pain. She’d lost a lot of blood, and her arm could barely move, but she still had a few weapons handy. Bracing herself for battle, she whipped around the bumper, only to find the Winter Soldier vanished and Steve lying on the ground.

 

She would’ve taken being shot over the sight any day.

 

Running over to Steve, she pressed her hands over his wound, but she knew the gesture was futile. Not even a super soldier could survive this kind of stabbing. Steve Rogers was dying, and there was nothing anybody could do about it.

 

“ ‘Tasha,” he coughed, blood flowing freely from his mouth now. “It’s Bucky.”

 

“Shh, Cap,” she soothed, although they both knew it was a lost cause. “I’ll get him, don’t you worry. Just stay awake, ok?”

 

Steve breathed out heavily, the best he could do instead of laughing. He looked up at the sky, where media helicopters were hovering like vultures. The sky had been grey all day, but now, everything else seemed drained of color. Even Natasha’s normally fiery red hair was dulled, but he could still see the tears forming in her eyes.

 

“Sorry, ‘Tasha,” Steve whispered, his eyelids fluttering. “I think I’m done fighting.”

 

“Dammit, Steve, stay awake!” Natasha cried angrily, patting his cheeks. “Listen, there’s an ambulance coming right now!” But Steve was staring at something behind her, a faint smile on his lips. His mouth moved slightly, and with a last gurgling breath, Captain America died.

 

Tears were running freely down Natasha’s face now, but her only expression was anger. Slowly standing up, she retrieved Steve’s shield, placing it across his chest gently. She sat with him until the ambulance came, ignoring the paramedics and reporters swarming around her like mosquitoes.

  
The Black Widow had a new mission: find the Winter Soldier and bring him in. Captain’s orders.


End file.
